New Cam choices

[lt1fire]

While my cam looked fine when we had it checked out 40k ago I may just go ahead and change it when the timing belt is done.

our 2005 BEW jetta has 200k on it and would love for it to hit 400k in the long run.

I do however feel left wanting for a bit more power on our 90 mile commute every day.

How much power would a stage I or II colt or frank cam shaft yield us on an otherwise stock engine (may do a very mild tune later on)

Also would such a mod stress the engine in a way that may cut down on its overall life?

If I could add 30-40 ft/lbs with the cam and a slight tune without stressing the engine i'd be happy.

 

[aja8888]

Forget the cam and get a tune. You could pick up 20% more HP and tirque with a Malone or other tune using the same cam, turbo and MAP. If you do this, add slightly bigger nozzles.

Lots of options here for tuning. Cam by itself won't get you much with a diesel.

 

[lt1fire]

If I wasn't already thinking of doing the cam anyway that is exactly how I would do it.

Since I want to keep the car for the long haul and it being a PD at some point i'll have to replace the cam and the upcoming timing belt replacement is a great time to do it. A stage I or II cam is only $100 more than another stock cam so that is where my thinking is going. I will do a bit bigger nozzles when the time comes to do those also.

 

[A5INKY]

The BEW cam failure is not guaranteed. Some fail early, some seem to last to very high mileage. If you have to change it, a stage 2 is a good choice for it's better geometry. The cam alone is not going to mean much as a power mod at all though. If yours looks that good, I'd leave it alone.

The BEW has quite a bit of fueling potential left on the table that is unlocked with a good tune. Beyond that, the turbo is the first bottleneck to power after tuning. A good tune will yield a very noticeable power increase and not come close to stressing the engine enough to shorten it's service life. I very much recommend starting there. If you still want more, a similar power increase can be a had once again with a retune for a bigger turbo.

Each engine code has a proven order of operations for each level of power increase. Choose a quality tuner and they can guide you to the level that best suits your needs with both hardware and software mods. Piecemeal upgrades without reapect for what holds your engine back will waste time and money.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

To my knowlege no one has documented performance improvements with modified cams in a PD. If you feel you need a cam go ahead and replace it. But if you want more power get a tune.

 

[thzpcs]

Is there any benefit to the upgraded cams?

 

[Tero P]

To my knowlege no one has documented performance improvements with modified cams in a PD. If you feel you need a cam go ahead and replace it. But if you want more power get a tune.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4136541&postcount=34

 

[turbovan+tdi]

Forget the cam and get a tune. You could pick up 20% more HP and tirque with a Malone or other tune using the same cam, turbo and MAP. If you do this, add slightly bigger nozzles.
Lots of options here for tuning. Cam by itself won't get you much with a diesel.

Nozzles aren't cheap for a PD, he's looking at $1000 plus.

Is there any benefit to the upgraded cams?

Yes, slightly more power and longer life.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

There's lots of fuel available in PDs without upgrading nozzles. If I were looking for more power from a PD I'd tune, then spend money on an upgrade to a VNT-17 instead of a performance cam.

 

[turbovan+tdi]

There's lots of fuel available in PDs without upgrading nozzles. If I were looking for more power from a PD I'd tune, then spend money on an upgrade to a VNT-17 instead of a performance cam.

That's what I am doing,

I will get a cam when mine goes flat though.

 

[OlyTDI]

There's lots of fuel available in PDs without upgrading nozzles. If I were looking for more power from a PD I'd tune, then spend money on an upgrade to a VNT-17 instead of a performance cam.

Is anyone upgrading cams solely for the sake of performance? I would think that you upgrade a cam when your cam needs replacing. Are folks willy-nilly upgrading cams?

 

[A5INKY]

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4136541&postcount=34

Read the first line of MarkoP's post: "Turbo Johan" from Van Vught Tuning was kind enough to test A-B cam swap with a high horsepower setup from stock cam to "stage-2".

That engine is far from stock and is able to take advantage of better cam profile much moreso than a stock engine could. OP is asking what to expect in power increase for an otherwise stock engine. Totally different situation.

No, the common aftermarket cams won't really hurt anything, but are not a very productive performance mod for a stock car. A cam upgrade becomes more productive with many other mods performed first.

 

[turbovan+tdi]

Is anyone upgrading cams solely for the sake of performance? I would think that you upgrade a cam when your cam needs replacing. Are folks willy-nilly upgrading cams?

A Colt or Franko is it? stage 2 cam gives you more power under the curve, which is exactly what a street car wants. I can't afford it right now and my stocker is fine but its getting a Colt cam when the cam goes. I put a Colt cam in my ALH and it was so much nicer around town and up hills, totally worth it IMHO.